It is sometimes necessary to remove one or more stones located within a bodily passage. For example, to treat salivary duct stones, ureteral stones, and kidney stones a lithotripsy may be performed in which a rigid probe attached to a firing handle is inserted into the bodily passage to fragment the stone. The procedure is accomplished by advancing the probe through a sheath disposed in the bodily passage, or the working channel of a scope, until the probe comes into contact with the stone. The firing handle is then activated to fire the probe and fragment the stone for removal.
Current lithotripters do not provide a mechanism that allows for fine motor control over the probe during the performance of a procedure. Rather, gross motor control is utilized to adjust the length of the probe disposed in the bodily passage by either manipulating the firing handle or grasping a portion of the probe itself, which is smooth and has a small diameter. The lack of fine motor control over the probe during the performance of a procedure decreases the efficiency of the procedure and increases the likelihood of the probe perforating the wall of the bodily passage and/or causing tissue damage.
Therefore, a need exists for improved medical devices and methods for performing a procedure, such as lithotripsy.